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Islamic Feminism
Our modern media tends to portray an extremely negative image of Islam, pointing to Islamic extremism as its first call of defense. A main attack point for the media is the hijab and other islamic headwear. We are told that a muslim woman wearing hijab is a sign of her opression. Islamic headwear, according to the media opresses both the muslim woman's body and mind. This International Society of Human Rights (ISHR) campaign advertisement sees a muslim woman barred behind her niqab. We believe however, that the clothes on a woman's head does not govern their freedom of speech. The purpose of this page is to provide an outline of several view points on the course and future of Islamic feminism. Bare in mind, this page does not claim to speak for every Muslim feminist, no does it represent all possible view points on Islamic feminism. Misconceptions As a generalization, Western society often considers Islamic Women to be the victims of misogyny. According to Muslim journalist, Hajer Naili, (Visit her blog ) "The media preaches a culturally tone-deaf narrative that says Muslim men are oppressive and Muslim women are voiceless." Whilst there have been opressive and unjust acts towards Muslim women by Muslim men, the media chooses only to portray these unjust acts, leaving out the true culprits of female discrimination. Islamic feminists identify state actors and elites as the culprits. These are the leaders who manipulate Islam for their own puprose and often segregate large segments of society, including women, in the process. (Boland, 2013) A common reason Muslim women are thought to be opressed is because they are 'forced' to wear a hijab, niqab or burqa. Many Muslim women 'choose' to wear a headscarve. Muslim women feel empowered rather than opressed. A human will look at a Muslim woman wearing hijab and see her for her intellect and personality, not her physical appearance. For more information on the purpose of hijab and other headwears, visit our Islamic Headwear page . If it is pious for a nun to wear clothes from head to toe, why is it suddenly opressive when a muslim woman wears the same? Wearing a hijab does not serve to opress a woman, but rather to empower her. The comic to the right of this section clearly brings to light the true opressors of Muslim women. The French leader, Francois Hollande, depicted in the left of the comic alludes to his bans of hijabs in public schools in France. This is a most opressive and violent attack on the Islamic faith and tradition. The 'muslims' depicted in this comic state their own unjust acts against the women of Islam. While these horrendous acts of whipping and caning may exist within the Islamic faith, physical abuse towards women is prevalent in Western society also. Two small birds in the bottom left corner of the comic state: "I don't know who's worst, the islamaphobe or the so-called islamist!" The media has chosen our answer for us... Muslim Feminists Islamic women embrace their faith, culture and tradition while advocating for legislative reforms and interpretations that reflect a more modern understanding of woman’s role in society. (Boland, 2013) It is inarguable that some parts of Islamic law falls short of internationally recognised borders that stop gender inequity. Muslim women oppose these views stating that Islam is not the inhherant root of gender discrimination. Muslim women advocating feminism are certain that sections of the Shari'a law have been interperated in such a way that allows Muslim men to pervert justice according to their own desires. The Huffington Post recently conducted interviews with a number of Muslim Americans about the topic of feminism. The Post discovered that these women ‘are far from being victims’. (Sánchez, 2013) In reality, many Muslim women identify as feminists and are actively working for their own agency. ''"I see the justification feminism in my faith. In the Qur'an it says that we're all equal in the eyes of God," says Fatemeh Fakhraie, founder of Muslimah Media Watch. "It means that the dignity of every person is important." ''(Sánchez, 2013) For some Muslim women, feminism isn’t limited to Muslim specific issues. Shaista Patel, for example, focuses on racism and indigenous rights. Patel identifies the notion of native informants, which is how she describes women who become known as authorities on Muslim issues, such as so-called honour killings. (Sánchez, 2013) ''"My interpretation is more of a political category," she says. According to Shaista, "There isn't a monolithic understanding of Muslim feminism… It's poisonous and very damaging," she notes, when one person is seen to speak on behalf of all Muslim women. ''(Sánchez, 2013) It is important to remember that is only one aspect of the vast facet of Muslim feminism. There are many incredibly diverse standpoints and a wide spectrum of views on Islamic feminism that no one person can define. The important thing is that we are trying to understand, to learn, about these dynamic issues. A prominent Islamic feminist, Leila Ahmed, explains that "feminists of whatever religion or religious background have always fiercely debated the key sources of women's opression. Is it patriarchy, religion, racism, imperialism, or class oppression, or some very lethal and toxic mix of all of these? Feminists have also thus differed on the solutions, as well as exactly whom we must fight first to liberate women." Due to this, the Muslim woman's approach to feminism and the strategies they use are often complex. Women are given dignity when their personal beliefs are both accepted and respected. A woman is entitled to express their sense of feminism in a way that truly reflects their beliefs and identities.